India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar: Technology is the World’s Biggest Challenge
Emerging Tech Shapes the Future of Global Order
India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, has highlighted the transformative role of emerging technologies in shaping the 21st-century global order. In an interview with Danish newspaper Politiken, he emphasized how artificial intelligence and the digital revolution are redefining the world’s power dynamics.
Jaishankar described the rapid pace of technological advancement as a defining challenge of our time. ‘We thought the atomic bomb was the most dramatic expression of technological development, because it could shape the world order – as it did in 1945 and afterward,’ he said. However, he argued that the true radical shift lies in the current era of AI and data-driven systems, which are changing the very foundation of global influence.
‘Artificial intelligence, the digital age, the data-based existence we are all sliding into – it won’t just occupy people like me and you. It will affect every single person in the smallest detail,’ he added. The minister stressed that leaders must now think in ‘tech-tiers’ rather than decades, recognizing that the global order is being redefined by technological progress.
Technology as a Double-Edged Sword
Jaishankar acknowledged the immense potential of technology to reshape the world, but also warned of its risks. ‘We are now touching the very foundation of what a world order can be. How will we measure it? What are the new tools of power and influence? The very fundamentals are changing,’ he said.
The minister emphasized the need for a proactive approach to harnessing technology. ‘It’s important to understand how to harness it,’ he stated. This includes developing new frameworks for global governance that account for the changing nature of power in the digital age.
India’s Stance on the Russia-Ukraine Conflict
During the interview, Jaishankar also addressed India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He stressed that India’s approach is based on principles of sovereignty and border integrity. ‘Our borders have been violated by Pakistan in Kashmir ever since our independence in 1947,’ he said. ‘And what have we seen in the eight decades since then? That large, democratic Europe, to use your own term, has stood side by side with military dictatorships in the region.’
Jaishankar criticized the West for supporting authoritarian regimes in Pakistan, which he argued undermines democratic values. ‘No one has supported the military regime – and undermined democracy in Pakistan in so many ways – as much as the West,’ he said. This perspective reflects India’s broader concerns about geopolitical alliances and their impact on regional stability.
India’s Position on Cross-Border Tensions
Jaishankar clarified that India’s stance on the India-Pakistan conflict is focused on the issue of terrorism rather than territorial disputes. ‘You talk about the inviolability of borders – well, why don’t we start with the inviolability of my borders? That’s where my world begins. But we’ve always been told that we had to solve that ourselves,’ he said.
The minister emphasized that India supports the sovereignty of all nations and the principle of internationally recognized borders. This position is part of India’s broader strategy to maintain regional stability while protecting its national interests.
Global Implications of Technological Change
Jaishankar’s remarks highlight the broader implications of technological change for global governance. As AI and digital systems become more sophisticated, they are reshaping the way nations interact, compete, and collaborate. The minister’s warning serves as a reminder of the need for international cooperation in addressing the challenges posed by emerging technologies.
With the world moving at an unprecedented pace of technological innovation, the challenge for global leaders is to ensure that progress serves the interests of all people, not just a select few. Jaishankar’s insights offer a perspective on the future of global order in the digital age.